Synthesis of substituted salicylaldehyde derivatives

ABSTRACT

Among other things, the present invention encompasses methods of synthesizing salicylaldehyde derivatives comprising the steps of: a) providing salicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof, b) forming an anhydro dimer of the provided salicylaldehyde compound, c) performing one or more chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer and d) hydrolyzing the anhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different from that provided in step (a).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional applicationSer. No. 61/385,551, filed Sep. 22, 2010, the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to the field of chemical synthesis. Moreparticularly, the invention pertains to methods for the synthesis ofsubstituted salicylaldehyde derivatives using an anhydro dimerintermediate.

BACKGROUND

Salicylaldehyde 1 and its derivatives (e.g., wherein R is other thanhydrogen) are widely used chemicals finding applications in many fieldsincluding the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and other biologically activemolecules and in the formation of ligands for organometallic compoundsused in catalysis and other processes.

The synthesis of salicylaldehyde derivatives is frequently challengingand many cases are documented in which reactions that work well on otherphenyl derivatives provide poorer yields when applied to salicylaldehydesystems. Without being bound by any theory or thereby limiting the scopeof the present invention, it is believed that the poor yields are oftendue to interactions of the phenol and aldehyde either via intermolecularreactions to form dimeric materials and oligomers or via undesiredinteractions of these functional groups with reagents or intermediatesemployed in attempts to affect chemistry elsewhere on thesalicylaldehyde derivatives. A common approach to this problem is tosynthesize a substituted phenol bearing the functionality required inthe final salicylaldehyde derivative and then perform a formylationreaction to introduce the aldehyde group ortho to the phenolic oxygen toform the required salicylaldehyde. Unfortunately, such formylationreactions often suffer from moderate yields and/or the formation ofundesired side-products. The present invention provides a solution tothis and other related problems.

Bicyclic anhydro dimers of salicylaldehyde were described and theirstructures elucidated as early as the 1920s [(i) Lindemann, H.; Forth,H. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1924, 219-232. (ii) Adams, R.; Fogler, M. F.;Kreger, C. W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1922, 44, 1126-1133. (iii) Newman, M.S.; Pinkus, A. G. J. Org. Chem. 1954, 19, 996-1002. (iv) Jones, P. R.;Gelinas, R. M. J. Org. Chem. 1981, 46, 194-196. (v) Ragot, J. P.; Prime,M. E.; Archibald, S. J.; Taylor, R. J. K. Org. Lett. 2000, 2, 1613-1616.(vi) Vol'eva, V. B.; Belostotskaya, I. S.; Shishkin, O. V.; Struchkov,Y. T.; Ershov, V. V. Russ. Chem. Bull. 1995, 44, 1489-1491.]. Additionalinterest in anhydro dimers was prompted by the identification of thering system in a family of natural products known collectively aspreussomerins, however they have not heretofore been utilized as maskedsalicylaldehyde intermediates in the syntheses of substitutedsalicylaldehyde derivatives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention encompasses the recognition that anhydro dimers ofsalicylaldehyde and its derivatives can act as convenient syntheticintermediates that mask the reactivity of the ortho-formyl phenolmoiety. In certain embodiments, the invention includes methods ofintentionally forming these dimers, performing chemistry on the arylrings or substituents of the dimerized salicylaldehyde derivatives andthen hydrolyzing the dimers to liberate two molecules of the transformedsalicylaldehyde derivate.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods ofsynthesizing salicylaldehyde derivatives comprising the steps of: a)providing salicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof, b) forming an anhydrodimer of the provided salicylaldehyde compound, c) performing one ormore chemical transformations on the anhydro dimer and d) hydrolyzingthe anhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different fromthat provided in step (a). The present invention also encompassesmethods of making such salicylaldehyde anhydro dimers.

The present invention provides compositions of matter comprising novelsalicylaldehyde dimers. In certain embodiments, such salicylaldehydedimers have particular utility in the synthesis of catalysts and, inparticular, of salon-type catalysts. In some embodiments, suchsalicylaldehyde dimers have particular utility in the synthesis ofbiologically active molecules.

Definitions

Definitions of specific functional groups and chemical terms aredescribed in more detail below. For purposes of this invention, thechemical elements are identified in accordance with the Periodic Tableof the Elements, CAS version, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 75^(th)Ed., inside cover, and specific functional groups are generally definedas described therein. Additionally, general principles of organicchemistry, as well as specific functional moieties and reactivity, aredescribed in Organic Chemistry, Thomas Sorrell, University ScienceBooks, Sausalito, 1999; Smith and March March's Advanced OrganicChemistry, 5^(th) Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001;Larock, Comprehensive Organic Transformations, VCH Publishers, Inc., NewYork, 1989; Carruthers, Some Modern Methods of Organic Synthesis, 3^(rd)Edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1987; the entirecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Certain compounds of the present invention can comprise one or moreasymmetric centers, and thus can exist in various stereoisomeric forms,e.g., enantiomers and/or diastereomers. Thus, inventive compounds andcompositions thereof may be in the form of an individual enantiomer,diastereomer or geometric isomer, or may be in the form of a mixture ofstereoisomers. In certain embodiments, the compounds of the inventionare enantiopure compounds. In certain embodiments, mixtures ofenantiomers or diastereomers are provided.

Furthermore, certain compounds, as described herein may have one or moredouble bonds that can exist as either the Z or E isomer, unlessotherwise indicated. The invention additionally encompasses thecompounds as individual isomers substantially free of other isomers andalternatively, as mixtures of various isomers, e.g., racemic mixtures ofenantiomers.

As used herein, the term “isomers” includes any and all geometricisomers and stereoisomers. For example, “isomers” include cis andtransisomers, E and Z-isomers, R and Senantiomers, diastereomers,(D)isomers, (L)isomers, racemic mixtures thereof, and other mixturesthereof, as falling within the scope of the invention. For instance, astereoisomer may, in some embodiments, be provided substantially free ofone or more corresponding stereoisomers, and may also be referred to as“stereochemically enriched.”

Where a particular enantiomer is preferred, it may, in some embodimentsbe provided substantially free of the opposite enantiomer, and may alsobe referred to as “optically enriched.” “Optically enriched,” as usedherein, means that the compound is made up of a significantly greaterproportion of one enantiomer. In certain embodiments the compound ismade up of at least about 90% by weight of a preferred enantiomer. Inother embodiments the compound is made up of at least about 95%, 98%, or99% by weight of a preferred enantiomer. Preferred enantiomers may beisolated from racemic mixtures by any method known to those skilled inthe art, including chiral high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) andthe formation and crystallization of chiral salts or prepared byasymmetric syntheses. See, for example, Jacques, et al., Enantiomers,Racemates and Resolutions (Wiley Interscience, New York, 1981); Wilen,S. H., et al., Tetrahedron 33:2725 (1977); Eliel, E. L. Stereochemistryof Carbon Compounds (McGraw-Hill, NY, 1962); Wilen, S. H. Tables ofResolving Agents and Optical Resolutions p. 268 (E. L. Eliel, Ed., Univ.of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Ind. 1972).

The terms “halo” and “halogen” as used herein refer to an atom selectedfrom fluorine (fluoro, —F), chlorine (chloro, —Cl), bromine (bromo,—Br), and iodine (iodo, —I).

The term “aliphatic” or “aliphatic group”, as used herein, denotes ahydrocarbon moiety that may be straight-chain (i.e., unbranched),branched, or cyclic (including fused, bridging, and spiro-fusedpolycyclic) and may be completely saturated or may contain one or moreunits of unsaturation, but which is not aromatic. Unless otherwisespecified, aliphatic groups contain 1-30 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-12 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-8 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-6 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-5 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-4 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-3 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, aliphatic groups contain 1-2 carbon atoms. Suitablealiphatic groups include, but are not limited to, linear or branched,alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl groups, and hybrids thereof such as(cycloalkyl)alkyl, (cycloalkenyl)alkyl or (cycloalkyl)alkenyl.

The term “unsaturated”, as used herein, means that a moiety has one ormore double or triple bonds.

The terms “cycloaliphatic”, “carbocycle”, or “carbocyclic”, used aloneor as part of a larger moiety, refer to a saturated or partiallyunsaturated cyclic aliphatic monocyclic or bicyclic ring systems, asdescribed herein, having from 3 to 12 members, wherein the aliphaticring system is optionally substituted as defined above and describedherein. Cycloaliphatic groups include, without limitation, cyclopropyl,cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclopentenyl, cyclohexyl, cyclohexenyl,cycloheptyl, cycloheptenyl, cyclooctyl, cyclooctenyl, andcyclooctadienyl. In some embodiments, the cycloalkyl has 3-6 carbons.The terms “cycloaliphatic”, “carbocycle” or “carbocyclic” also includealiphatic rings that are fused to one or more aromatic or nonaromaticrings, such as decahydronaphthyl or tetrahydronaphthyl, where theradical or point of attachment is on the aliphatic ring. In certainembodiments, the term “3- to 8-membered carbocycle” refers to a 3- to8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic carbocyclicring. In certain embodiments, the terms “3- to 14-membered carbocycle”and “C₃₋₁₄ carbocycle” refer to a 3- to 8-membered saturated orpartially unsaturated monocyclic carbocyclic ring, or a 7- to14-membered saturated or partially unsaturated polycyclic carbocyclicring. In certain embodiments, the term “C₃₋₂₀ carbocycle” refers to a 3-to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic carbocyclicring, or a 7- to 20-membered saturated or partially unsaturatedpolycyclic carbocyclic ring.

The term “alkyl,” as used herein, refers to saturated, straight- orbranched-chain hydrocarbon radicals derived from an aliphatic moietycontaining between one and six carbon atoms by removal of a singlehydrogen atom. Unless otherwise specified, alkyl groups contain 1-12carbon atoms. In certain embodiments, alkyl groups contain 1-8 carbonatoms. In certain embodiments, alkyl groups contain 1-6 carbon atoms. Insome embodiments, alkyl groups contain 1-5 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkyl groups contain 1-4 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, alkyl groups contain 1-3 carbon atoms. In some embodiments,alkyl groups contain 1-2 carbon atoms. Examples of alkyl radicalsinclude, but are not limited to, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,n-butyl, iso-butyl, sec-butyl, sec-pentyl, iso-pentyl, tert-butyl,n-pentyl, neopentyl, n-hexyl, sec-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, n-decyl,n-undecyl, dodecyl, and the like.

The term “alkenyl,” as used herein, denotes a monovalent group derivedfrom a straight- or branched-chain aliphatic moiety having at least onecarbon-carbon double bond by the removal of a single hydrogen atom.Unless otherwise specified, alkenyl groups contain 2-12 carbon atoms. Incertain embodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2-8 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2-6 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2-5 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2-4 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2-3 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkenyl groups contain 2 carbon atoms. Alkenyl groupsinclude, for example, ethenyl, propenyl, butenyl, 1-methyl-2-buten-1-yl,and the like.

The term “alkynyl,” as used herein, refers to a monovalent group derivedfrom a straight- or branched-chain aliphatic moiety having at least onecarbon-carbon triple bond by the removal of a single hydrogen atom.Unless otherwise specified, alkynyl groups contain 2-12 carbon atoms. Incertain embodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2-8 carbon atoms. In certainembodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2-6 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2-5 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2-4 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2-3 carbon atoms. In someembodiments, alkynyl groups contain 2 carbon atoms. Representativealkynyl groups include, but are not limited to, ethynyl, 2-propynyl(propargyl), 1-propynyl, and the like.

The term “aryl” used alone or as part of a larger moiety as in“aralkyl”, “aralkoxy”, or “aryloxyalkyl”, refers to monocyclic andpolycyclic ring systems having a total of five to 20 ring members,wherein at least one ring in the system is aromatic and wherein eachring in the system contains three to twelve ring members. The term“aryl” may be used interchangeably with the term “aryl ring”. In certainembodiments of the present invention, “aryl” refers to an aromatic ringsystem which includes, but is not limited to, phenyl, biphenyl,naphthyl, anthracyl and the like, which may bear one or moresubstituents. Also included within the scope of the term “aryl”, as itis used herein, is a group in which an aromatic ring is fused to one ormore additional rings, such as benzofuranyl, indanyl, phthalimidyl,naphthimidyl, phenantriidinyl, or tetrahydronaphthyl, and the like. Incertain embodiments, the term “8- to 14-membered aryl” refers to an 8-to 14-membered polycyclic aryl ring.

The terms “heteroaryl” and “heteroar-”, used alone or as part of alarger moiety, e.g., “heteroaralkyl”, or “heteroaralkoxy”, refer togroups having 5 to 14 ring atoms, preferably 5, 6, or 9 ring atoms;having 6, 10, or 14 π electrons shared in a cyclic array; and having, inaddition to carbon atoms, from one to five heteroatoms. The term“heteroatom” refers to nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, and includes anyoxidized form of nitrogen or sulfur, and any quaternized form of a basicnitrogen. Heteroaryl groups include, without limitation, thienyl,furanyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, triazolyl, tetrazolyl,oxazolyl, isoxazolyl, oxadiazolyl, thiazolyl, isothiazolyl,thiadiazolyl, pyridyl, pyridazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl, indolizinyl,purinyl, naphthyridinyl, benzofuranyl and pteridinyl. The terms“heteroaryl” and “heteroar”, as used herein, also include groups inwhich a heteroaromatic ring is fused to one or more aryl,cycloaliphatic, or heterocyclyl rings, where the radical or point ofattachment is on the heteroaromatic ring. Nonlimiting examples includeindolyl, isoindolyl, benzothienyl, benzofuranyl, dibenzofuranyl,indazolyl, benzimidazolyl, benzthiazolyl, quinolyl, isoquinolyl,cinnolinyl, phthalazinyl, quinazolinyl, quinoxalinyl, 4H-quinolizinyl,carbazolyl, acridinyl, phenazinyl, phenothiazinyl, phenoxazinyl,tetrahydroquinolinyl, tetrahydroisoquinolinyl, andpyrido[2,3-b]-1,4-oxazin-3(4H)-one. A heteroaryl group may be mono orbicyclic. The term “heteroaryl” may be used interchangeably with theterms “heteroaryl ring”, “heteroaryl group”, or “heteroaromatic”, any ofwhich terms include rings that are optionally substituted. The term“heteroaralkyl” refers to an alkyl group substituted by a heteroaryl,wherein the alkyl and heteroaryl portions independently are optionallysubstituted. In certain embodiments, the term “5- to 10-memberedheteroaryl” refers to a 5- to 6-membered heteroaryl ring having 1 to 3heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, oran 8- to 10-membered bicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1 to 4 heteroatomsindependently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur. In certainembodiments, the term “5- to 12-membered heteroaryl” refers to a 5- to6-membered heteroaryl ring having 1 to 3 heteroatoms independentlyselected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, or an 8- to 12-memberedbicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1 to 4 heteroatoms independentlyselected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur.

As used herein, the terms “heterocycle”, “heterocyclyl”, “heterocyclicradical”, and “heterocyclic ring” are used interchangeably and refer toa stable 5 to 7-membered monocyclic or 7- to 14-membered bicyclicheterocyclic moiety that is either saturated or partially unsaturated,and having, in addition to carbon atoms, one or more, preferably one tofour, heteroatoms, as defined above. When used in reference to a ringatom of a heterocycle, the term “nitrogen” includes a substitutednitrogen. As an example, in a saturated or partially unsaturated ringhaving 0-3 heteroatoms selected from oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, thenitrogen may be N (as in 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrrolyl), NH (as inpyrrolidinyl), or ⁺NR (as in N-substituted pyrrolidinyl). In someembodiments, the term “3- to 7-membered heterocyclic” refers to a 3- to7-membered saturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic heterocyclicring having 1 to 2 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur. In some embodiments, the term “3- to 8-memberedheterocycle” refers to a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partiallyunsaturated monocyclic heterocyclic ring having 1 to 2 heteroatomsindependently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur.

A heterocyclic ring can be attached to its pendant group at anyheteroatom or carbon atom that results in a stable structure and any ofthe ring atoms can be optionally substituted. Examples of such saturatedor partially unsaturated heterocyclic radicals include, withoutlimitation, tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydrothienyl, pyrrolidinyl,pyrrolidonyl, piperidinyl, pyrrolinyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl,tetrahydroisoquinolinyl, decahydroquinolinyl, oxazolidinyl, piperazinyl,dioxanyl, dioxolanyl, diazepinyl, oxazepinyl, thiazepinyl, morpholinyl,and quinuclidinyl. The terms “heterocycle”, “heterocyclyl”,“heterocyclyl ring”, “heterocyclic group”, “heterocyclic moiety”, and“heterocyclic radical”, are used interchangeably herein, and alsoinclude groups in which a heterocyclyl ring is fused to one or morearyl, heteroaryl, or cycloaliphatic rings, such as indolinyl,3H-indolyl, chromanyl, phenanthridinyl, or tetrahydroquinolinyl, wherethe radical or point of attachment is on the heterocyclyl ring. Aheterocyclyl group may be mono or bicyclic. The term “heterocyclylalkyl”refers to an alkyl group substituted by a heterocyclyl, wherein thealkyl and heterocyclyl portions independently are optionallysubstituted.

As used herein, the term “partially unsaturated” refers to a ring moietythat includes at least one double or triple bond. The term “partiallyunsaturated” is intended to encompass rings having multiple sites ofunsaturation, but is not intended to include aryl or heteroarylmoieties, as herein defined.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the syntheticmethods, as described herein, may utilize a variety of protectinggroups. By the term “protecting group,” as used herein, it is meant thata particular functional moiety, e.g., O, S, or N, is masked or blocked,permitting, if desired, a reaction to be carried out selectively atanother reactive site in a multifunctional compound. In someembodiments, a protecting group reacts selectively in good yield to givea protected substrate that is stable to the projected reactions; theprotecting group is preferably selectively removable by readilyavailable, preferably non-toxic reagents that do not attack the otherfunctional groups; the protecting group forms a separable derivative(more preferably without the generation of new stereogenic centers); andthe protecting group will preferably have a minimum of additionalfunctionality to avoid further sites of reaction. By way of non-limitingexample, hydroxyl protecting groups include methyl, methoxylmethyl(MOM), methylthiomethyl (MTM), t-butylthiomethyl,(phenyldimethylsilypmethoxymethyl (SMOM), benzyloxymethyl (BOM),p-methoxybenzyloxymethyl (PMBM), (4-methoxyphenoxy)methyl (p-AOM),guaiacolmethyl (GUM), t-butoxymethyl, 4-pentenyloxymethyl (POM),siloxymethyl, 2-methoxyethoxymethyl (MEM), 2,2,2-trichloroethoxymethyl,bis(2-chloroethoxy)methyl, 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl (SEMOR),tetrahydropyranyl (THP), 3-bromotetrahydropyranyl,tetrahydrothiopyranyl, 1-methoxycyclohexyl, 4-methoxytetrahydropyranyl(MTHP), 4-methoxytetrahydrothiopyranyl, 4-methoxytetrahydrothiopyranylS,S-dioxide,1-[(2-chloro-4-methyl)phenyl]-4-methoxypiperidin-4-yl(CTMP),1,4-dioxan-2-yl, tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydrothiofuranyl,2,3,3a,4,5,6,7,7a-octahydro-7,8,8-trimethyl-4,7-methanobenzofuran-2-yl,1-ethoxyethyl, 1-(2-chloroethoxy)ethyl, 1-methyl-1-methoxyethyl,1-methyl-1-benzyl oxyethyl, 1-methyl-1-benzyl oxy-2-fluoroethyl,2,2,2-trichloroethyl, 2-trimethylsilylethyl, 2-(phenylselenyl)ethyl,t-butyl, allyl, p-chlorophenyl, p-methoxyphenyl, 2,4-dinitrophenyl,benzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl, o-nitrobenzyl,p-nitrobenzyl, p-halobenzyl, 2,6-dichlorobenzyl, p-cyanobenzyl,p-phenylbenzyl, 2-picolyl, 4-picolyl, 3-methyl-2-picolyl N-oxido,diphenylmethyl, p,p′-dinitrobenzhydryl, 5-dibenzosuberyl,triphenylmethyl, α-naphthyldiphenylmethyl,p-methoxyphenyldiphenylmethyl, di(p-methoxyphenyl)phenylmethyl,tri(p-methoxyphenyl)methyl, 4-(4′-bromophenacyloxyphenyl)diphenylmethyl,4,4′,4″-tris(4,5-dichlorophthalimidophenyl)methyl,4,4′,4″-tris(levulinoyloxyphenyl)methyl,4,4′,4″-tris(benzoyloxyphenyl)methyl,3-(imidazol-1-yl)bis(4′,4″-dimethoxyphenyl)methyl,1,1-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1′-pyrenylmethyl, 9-anthryl,9-(9-phenyl)xanthenyl, 9-(9-phenyl-10-oxo)anthryl,1,3-benzodithiolan-2-yl, benzisothiazolyl S,S-dioxido, trimethylsilyl(TMS), triethylsilyl (TES), triisopropylsilyl (TIPS),dimethylisopropylsilyl (IPDMS), diethylisopropylsilyl (DEIPS),dimethylthexylsilyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl (TBDMS), t-butyldiphenylsilyl(TBDPS), tribenzylsilyl, tri-p-xylylsilyl triphenylsilyl,diphenylmethylsilyl (DPMS), t-butylmethoxyphenylsilyl (TBMPS), formate,benzoylformate, acetate, chloroacetate, dichloroacetate,trichloroacetate, trifluoroacetate, methoxyacetate,triphenylmethoxyacetate, phenoxyacetate, p-chlorophenoxyacetate,3-phenylpropionate, 4-oxopentanoate (levulinate),4,4-(ethylenedithio)pentanoate (levulinoyldithioacetal), pivaloate,adamantoate, crotonate, 4-methoxycrotonate, benzoate, p-phenylbenzoate,2,4,6-trimethylbenzoate (mesitoate), alkyl methyl carbonate,9-fluorenylmethyl carbonate (Fmoc), alkyl ethyl carbonate, alkyl2,2,2-trichloroethyl carbonate (Troc), 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl carbonate(TMSEC), 2-(phenylsulfonyl) ethyl carbonate (Psec),2-(triphenylphosphonio) ethyl carbonate (Peoc), alkyl isobutylcarbonate, alkyl vinyl carbonate alkyl allyl carbonate, alkylp-nitrophenyl carbonate, alkyl benzyl carbonate, alkyl p-methoxybenzylcarbonate, alkyl 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl carbonate, alkyl o-nitrobenzylcarbonate, alkyl p-nitrobenzyl carbonate, alkyl S-benzyl thiocarbonate,4-ethoxy-1-napththyl carbonate, methyl dithiocarbonate, 2-iodobenzoate,4-azidobutyrate, 4-nitro-4-methylpentanoate, o-(dibromomethyl)benzoate,2-formylbenzenesulfonate, 2-(methylthiomethoxy)ethyl,4-(methylthiomethoxy)butyrate, 2-(methylthiomethoxymethyl)benzoate,2,6-dichloro-4-methylphenoxyacetate,2,6-dichloro-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxyacetate,2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenoxyacetate, chlorodiphenylacetate,isobutyrate, monosuccinoate, (E)-2-methyl-2-butenoate,o-(methoxycarbonyl)benzoate, α-naphthoate, nitrate, alkylN,N,N′,N′-tetramethylphosphorodiamidate, alkyl N-phenylcarbamate,borate, dimethylphosphinothioyl, alkyl 2,4-dinitrophenylsulfenate,sulfate, methanesulfonate (mesylate), benzylsulfonate, and tosylate(Ts). Exemplary protecting groups are detailed herein, however, it willbe appreciated that the present disclosure is not intended to be limitedto these protecting groups; rather, a variety of additional equivalentprotecting groups can be readily identified using the above criteria andutilized in the method of the present disclosure. Additionally, avariety of protecting groups are described by Greene and Wuts (infra).

As described herein, compounds of the invention may contain “optionallysubstituted” moieties. In general, the term “substituted”, whetherpreceded by the term “optionally” or not, means that one or morehydrogens of the designated moiety are replaced with a suitablesubstituent. Unless otherwise indicated, an “optionally substituted”group may have a suitable substituent at each substitutable position ofthe group, and when more than one position in any given structure may besubstituted with more than one substituent selected from a specifiedgroup, the substituent may be either the same or different at everyposition. Combinations of substituents envisioned by this invention arepreferably those that result in the formation of stable or chemicallyfeasible compounds. The term “stable”, as used herein, refers tocompounds that are not substantially altered when subjected toconditions to allow for their production, detection, and, in certainembodiments, their recovery, purification, and use for one or more ofthe purposes disclosed herein.

Suitable monovalent substituents on a substitutable carbon atom of an“optionally substituted” group are independently halogen;—(CH₂)₀₋₄R^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄OR^(◯); —O—(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)OR^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄CH(OR^(◯))₂; —(CH₂)₀₋₄SR^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄Ph, which may besubstituted with R^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄O(CH₂)₀₋₁Ph which may be substitutedwith R^(◯); —CH═CHPh, which may be substituted with R^(◯); —NO₂; —CN;—N₃; —(CH₂)₀₋₄N(R^(◯))₂; —(CH₂)₀₋₄N(R^(◯))C(O)R^(◯); N(R^(◯))C(S)R^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄N(R^(◯))C(O)NR^(◯) ₂; —N(R^(◯))C(S)NR^(◯) ₂;—(CH₂)₀₋₄N(R^(◯))C(O)OR^(◯); —N(R^(◯))N(R^(◯))C(O)R^(◯);—N(R^(◯))N(R^(◯))C(O)NR^(◯) ₂; N(R^(◯))N(R^(◯))C(O)OR^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)R^(◯); C(S)R^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)OR^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)N(R^(◯))₂; —(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)SR^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)OSiR^(◯) ₃;—(CH₂)₀₋₄OC(O)R^(◯); —OC(O)(CH₂)₀₋₄SR, SC(S)SR^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄SC(O)R^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)NR^(◯) ₂; —C(S)NR^(◯) ₂; —C(S)SR^(◯); —SC(S)SR^(◯),(CH₂)₀₋₄OC(O)NR^(◯) ₂; —C(O)N(OR^(◯))R^(◯); —C(O)C(O)R^(◯);—C(O)CH₂C(O)R^(◯); —C(NOR^(◯))R^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄SSR^(◯);—(CH₂)₀₋₄S(O)₂R^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄S(O)₂OR^(◯); —(CH₂)₀₋₄OS(O)₂R^(◯);—S(O)₂NR^(◯) ₂; —(CH₂)₀₋₄S(O)R^(◯); —N(R^(◯))S(O)₂NR^(◯) ₂;—N(R^(◯))S(O)₂R^(◯); —N(OR^(◯))R^(◯); —C(NH)NR^(◯) ₂; P(O)₂R^(◯);—P(O)R^(◯) ₂; OP(O)R^(◯) ₂; —OP(O)(OR^(◯) ₂; —SiR^(◯) ₃; —(C₁₋₄ straightor branched alkylene)O—N(R^(◯))₂; or —(C₁₋₄ straight orbranched)alkylene)C(O)O—N(R^(◯))₂, wherein each R^(◯) may be substitutedas defined below and is independently hydrogen, C₁₋₈ aliphatic, —CH₂Ph,—O(CH₂)₀₋₁Ph, or a 5-6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur, or, notwithstanding the definition above, twoindependent occurrences of R^(◯), taken together with their interveningatom(s), form a 3- to 12-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl mono or polycyclic ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independentlyselected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, which may be substituted asdefined below.

Suitable monovalent substituents on R^(◯) (or the ring formed by takingtwo independent occurrences of R^(◯) together with their interveningatoms), are independently halogen, —(CH₂)₀₋₂R^(●), -(haloR^(●)),—(CH₂)₀₋₂OH, —(CH₂)₀₋₂OR^(●), —(CH₂)₀₋₂CH(OR)₂; O(haloR^(●)), —CN, —N₃,—(CH₂)₀₋₂C(O)R^(●), —(CH₂)₀₋₂C(O)OH, —(CH₂)₀₋₂C(O)OR^(●),—(CH₂)₀₋₄C(O)N(R^(●))₂; —(CH₂)₀₋₂SR^(●), —(CH₂)₀₋₂SH, —(CH₂)₀₋₂NH₂,—(CH₂)₀₋₂NHR^(●), —(CH₂)₀₋₂NR^(θ) ₂, —NO₂, —SiR^(●) ₃, —OSiR^(●) ₃,—C(O)SR^(●), —(C₁₋₄ straight or branched alkylene)C(O)OR^(●), or—SSR^(●) wherein each R^(●) is unsubstituted or where preceded by “halo”is substituted only with one or more halogens, and is independentlyselected from C₁₋₄ aliphatic, —CH₂Ph, —O(CH₂)₀₋₁Ph, or a 5- to6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, or aryl ring having 0-4heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur.Suitable divalent substituents on a saturated carbon atom of R^(◯)include ═O and ═S.

Suitable divalent substituents on a saturated carbon atom of an“optionally substituted” group include the following: ═O, ═S, ═NNR*₂,═NNHC(O)R*, ═NNHC(O)OR*, ═NNHS(O)₂R*, ═NR*, ═NOR*, —O(C(R*₂))₂₋₃O, or—S(C(R*₂))₂₋₃S—, wherein each independent occurrence of R* is selectedfrom hydrogen, C₁₋₆ aliphatic which may be substituted as defined below,or an unsubstituted 5-6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur. Suitable divalent substituents that are bound tovicinal substitutable carbons of an “optionally substituted” groupinclude: O(CR*₂)₂₋₃O—, wherein each independent occurrence of R* isselected from hydrogen, C₁₋₆ aliphatic which may be substituted asdefined below, or an unsubstituted 5- to 6-membered saturated, partiallyunsaturated, or aryl ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independently selectedfrom nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur.

Suitable substituents on the aliphatic group of R* include halogen,—R^(●), -(haloR^(●)), —OH, —OR^(●), —O(haloR^(●)), —CN, —C(O)OH,—C(O)OR^(●), —NH₂, —NHR^(●), —NR^(●) ₂, or —NO₂, wherein each R^(●) isunsubstituted or where preceded by “halo” is substituted only with oneor more halogens, and is independently C₁₋₄ aliphatic, —CH₂Ph,—O(CH₂)₀₋₁Ph, or a 5- to 6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur.

Suitable substituents on a substitutable nitrogen of an “optionallysubstituted” group include —R^(†), —NR^(†) ₂, —C(O)R^(†), —C(O)OR^(†),—C(O)C(O)R^(†), —C(O)CH₂C(O)R^(†), —S(O)₂R^(†), —S(O)₂NR^(†) ₂,—C(S)NR^(†) ₂, —C(NH)NR^(†) ₂, or —N(R^(†))S(O)₂R^(†); wherein eachR^(†) is independently hydrogen, C₁₋₆ aliphatic which may be substitutedas defined below, unsubstituted —OPh, or an unsubstituted 5- to6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, or aryl ring having 0-4heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur, or,notwithstanding the definition above, two independent occurrences ofR^(†), taken together with their intervening atom(s) form anunsubstituted 3- to 12-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl mono- or bicyclic ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independentlyselected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur.

Suitable substituents on the aliphatic group of R^(†) are independentlyhalogen, —R^(●), -(haloR^(●)), —OH, —OR^(●), —O(haloR^(●)), —CN,—C(O)OH, —C(O)OR^(●), —NH₂, —NHR^(●), —NR^(●) ₂, or —NO₂, wherein eachR^(●) is unsubstituted or where preceded by “halo” is substituted onlywith one or more halogens, and is independently C₁₋₄ aliphatic, —CH₂Ph,—O(CH₂)₀₋₁Ph, or a 5- to 6-membered saturated, partially unsaturated, oraryl ring having 0-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur.

In some chemical structures herein, substituents are shown attached to abond which crosses another bond of a depicted molecule. This means thatone or more of the substituents may be attached to the molecule at anyavailable position (usually in place of a hydrogen atom of the parentstructure). In cases where an atom of a molecule so substituted has twosubstitutable positions, two groups may be present on the same atom.When more than one substituent is present, each is defined independentlyof the others, and each may have a different structure. In cases wherethe substituent shown crossing a bond of the molecule is —R, this hasthe same meaning as if the ring were said to be “optionally substituted”as described in the preceding paragraph.

The term “salicylaldehyde” as used herein means any substituted orunsubstituted 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde.

The term “anhydro dimer” as used herein, refers to a molecule formedfrom the reaction of two molecules of an ortho formyl phenol via theloss of water. While this dimer is shown in the specification to have aspecific defined structure, the methods disclosed herein are not limitedto this precise structure and therefore encompass other dimeric orpseudodimeric compounds that might be formed.

The term “chemical transformation” as used herein, refers to anychemical reaction that may be performed on an anhydro dimer. In someembodiments, such chemical transformations do not cause a substantialdegree of undesirable reaction on the bicyclic acetal moiety of theanhydro dimer and that any functional groups introduced aresubstantially compatible with the chemistry employed in hydrolysis ofthe dimers to recover the salicylaldehyde products. In some embodiments,chemical transformations performed on anhydro dimers includecarbon-carbon bond forming reactions such as alkylations, arylations andacylations; carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions including, but notlimited to halogenation, nitration, oxidation, silylation, metallation,and the like, as well as transformations of functional groups present onthe aryl rings including, but not limited to: oxidations, reductions,additions, protections, deprotections, cycloadditions, aminations,decarboxylations, Click reactions, transition metal-catalyzed couplings,metatheses, alkylations, esterifications, hydrogenations, couplingreactions and the like.

TBD, as used herein refers to 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the present invention encompasses methods of synthesizingsalicylaldehyde derivatives comprising the steps of: a) providingsalicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof, b) forming an anhydro dimer ofthe provided salicylaldehyde compound, c) performing one or morechemical transformations on the anhydro dimer and d) hydrolyzing theanhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different fromthat provided in step (a).

In some embodiments, a provided method comprises the steps of a)providing salicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof, and b) forming ananhydro dimer of a provided salicylaldehyde compound. In certainembodiments, a provided method further comprises the step of performingone or more chemical transformations on an anhydro dimer. In someembodiments, a provided method further comprises the step of hydrolyzingan anhydro dimer to provide a salicylaldehyde derivative different fromthat provided in step (a).

In some embodiments, a provided method comprises the steps of a)dehydrating a salicylaldehyde to form an anhydro dimer, b) alkylating atleast one aromatic ring of the anhydro dimer in one or more positions;and c) hydrolyzing the alkylated anhydro dimer to recover an alkylatedsalicyladehyde derivative.

The formation of an anhydro dimer may be performed using any suitableconditions such as those known in the art. Typical conditions employacid catalysis in the presence of a dehydrating agent. One such methodemploys an acid anhydride in the presence of sulfuric or alkyl sulfonicacid catalyst. It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that manyother methods can be employed including those based on other dehydratingreagents such as thionyl chloride, phosphorous oxides,dialkyldicarbonates and the like, as well as dehydrating reactionconditions that remove water via azeotroping (Dean Stark or the like) orthat rely on adsorbants to physically sequester water (such as molecularsieves, anhydrous salts or the like).

Similarly, hydrolysis of an anhydro dimer to recover the substitutedsalicylaldehyde may be performed using literature procedures. Thesenormally employ acidic treatment in protic solvents such aqueous mineralacids, but it will be apparent to the skilled artisan that otherhydrolysis conditions can be employed. Many examples are available fromthe literature describing the hydrolysis of acetals and ketals and anyof these conditions may be employed in embodiments of the presentinvention.

Chemical transformations performed at the anhydro-dimer stage can bequite varied, the only limitations being the practical ones requiringthat the reagents and conditions employed do not cause a substantialdegree of undesirable reaction on the bicyclic acetal moiety of theanhydro dimer and that any functional groups introduced aresubstantially compatible with the chemistry employed in hydrolysis ofthe dimers to recover the salicylaldehyde products. In some embodiments,several such reactions are performed on the anhydro dimers prior torecovery of the final substituted salicylaldehyde derivatives byhydrolysis of the dimers.

In certain embodiments, the methods and compounds described herein areuseful in the synthesis of known metal complexes and/or ligands thereof.In some embodiments, methods and compounds described herein are usefulin the synthesis of compounds described in WO2008136591, WO2010013948,WO2010022388, WO2009137540, WO2008150033, US2010029896, U.S. Pat. No.6,870,004, U.S. Pat. No. 7,304,172, JP2010001443A, CN101020747,CN10229276, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 129, p. 8082-83, Bull. Korean Chem.Soc., 2009, Vol. 30, No. 3 p. 745-748, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47,7306-9, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7274-7277, J. Am. Chem. Soc.2009, p. 11509, and Macromolecules, 2010, 43 (3), p. 1396-1402, theentire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

I. Carbon-Carbon Bond Forming Reactions

In certain embodiments, a step of performing one or more chemicaltransformations on an anhydro dimer comprises performing a carbon-carbonbond forming reaction on at least one aromatic ring of the anhydro dimerin one or more positions. In certain embodiments, a carbon-carbon bondforming reaction on at least one aromatic ring of the anhydro dimercomprises alkylating at least one aromatic ring of the anhydro dimer inone or more positions.

In certain embodiments, an alkylation occurs equally on bothsalicylaldhyde molecules comprising the anhydro dimer. In certainembodiments, this process entails replacing a non-carbon substituent (Q)on the aryl ring with a carbon atom. In certain embodiments, such amethod proceeds according Scheme 1:

wherein R₁ represents one or more non-hydrogen substituents optionallypresent at one or more positions of the aryl ring(s), where each —R₁group is independently selected and is as defined hereinbelow; -Qrepresents one or more substitutable groups present on the aryl ring(s)and “-alkyl”, represents one or more moieties that is linked to the arylring through a carbon atom (including aliphatic, acyl, aryl, etc.) andwhich is introduced on the aryl ring in place of one or more of the -Qgroups.

In certain embodiments, -Q groups in Scheme 1 are selected from thegroup consisting of —H, F, Cl, Br, I, —B(OR^(y))₂, —OSO₂R^(y), andcombinations of two or more of these.

In certain embodiments, a -Q group in Scheme 1 is —H. In certainembodiments, an —H at the ortho, para or ortho and para positions isreplaced with a carbon atom.

In certain embodiments, an alkylation occurs at an unsubstitutedaromatic ring position ortho to the hydroxyl group of the startingsalicylaldehyde.

wherein the —R_(x) groups are as defined hereinbelow and “-alkyl”represents any moiety linked to the aryl ring through a carbon atom(including aliphatic, acyl, aryl, etc.).

In certain embodiments, an alkylation occurs at the aromatic ringposition para to the hydroxyl group of the starting salicylaldehyde. Incertain embodiments, this process proceeds according to the followingscheme:

wherein the —R_(x) groups are as defined hereinbelow and “-alkyl” is asdefined above.

In some embodiments, bis alkylation occurs at aromatic ring positionsortho and para to the hydroxyl group of the starting salicylaldehyde. Incertain embodiments, this process proceeds according to the followingscheme:

wherein the —R_(x) groups are as defined hereinbelow and “-alkyl” is asdefined above.

In certain embodiments, a provided method comprises a first alkylatingstep using a first alkylating reagent and a second alkylating step usinga second alkylating reagent wherein the first and second alkylatingreagents are different. In certain embodiments, the first alkyating stepintroduces a substituent at the aryl position para to the phenol hydroxygroup of the starting salicylaldehyde and the second alkylating stepintroduces a different substituent at the aryl position ortho to thephenol hydroxy group of the starting salicylaldehyde. In otherembodiments, the first alkyating step introduces a substituent at thearyl position ortho to the phenol hydroxy group of the startingsalicylaldehyde and the second alkylating step introduces a differentsubstituent at the aryl position para to the phenol hydroxy group of thestarting salicylaldehyde. In certain embodiments, these processesproceed according to the following schemes:

wherein the —R_(x) groups are as defined hereinbelow and “-alkyl” is asdefined above.

In some embodiments, a starting salicylaldehyde is substituted at thearyl position ortho to the phenol and an alkylation step introduces asubstituent at the aryl position para to the phenol hydroxyl group.

In some embodiments, a starting salicylaldehyde is substituted at thearyl position para to the phenol and an alkylation step introduces asubstituent at the aryl position ortho to the phenol hydroxyl group.

In certain embodiments, an alkylation transforms R₃ of an anhydro dimerfrom —H to an optionally substituted aliphatic group. In certainembodiments, an optionally substituted aliphatic group introduced at R₃is selected from the group consisting of optionally substituted C₁₋₂₀aliphatic, and optionally substituted aryl.

In certain embodiments, a step of alkylating the aromatic ring comprisesreacting the anhydro dimer under Friedel Crafts conditions. In certainembodiments, a step of alkylating the aromatic ring comprises reactingthe anhydro dimer under Friedel Crafts alkylating or acylatingconditions. Suitable reagents and conditions for Friedel Craftsreactions are well known in the art. Exemplary conditions for suchtransformations include, but are not limited to, those found in:ADVANCED ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 4^(th) Ed. by Jerry March, pp 534-552 andthe references cited therein.

In certain embodiments, the Friedel Crafts alkylating conditionscomprise reacting the anhydro dimer with at least one compound selectedfrom the group consisting of: alkenes, alcohols, alkyl halides, andmixtures of two or more of these in the presence of a promoter selectedfrom the group consisting of Lewis acids and proton acids.

In certain embodiments, the step of performing a carbon-carbon bondforming reaction comprises reacting the anhydro dimer with a transitionmetal catalyst and a suitable reagent to introduce a new carbon-linkedsubstituent. In certain embodiments, such transitional metal catalyzedcarbon-carbon bond forming reactions take place between the anhydrodimer and a suitable reagent, wherein the anhydro dimer and reagent bearcomplementary coupling groups. Suitable coupling reactions are wellknown to one of ordinary skill in the art and typically involve eitherthe anydro dimer or reagent bear an electron-withdrawing group (EWG)(e.g., Cl, Br, I, OTf, OTs, OMs etc.), such that the resulting polarcarbon-EWG bond is susceptible to oxidative addition by an electron-richmetal (e.g., a low-valent palladium or nickel species), and thecomplementary coupling group being an electropositive group (e.g.,boronic acids, boronic esters, boranes, stannanes, silyl species, zincspecies, aluminum species, magnesium species, zirconium species, etc.),such that the carbon which bears the electropositive coupling group issusceptible to transfer to other electropositive species (e.g., aPd^(II-IV) species or a Ni^(II-IV) species).

In certain embodiments, the step of performing a transitionmetal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reaction comprises reacting aposition on the anhydro dimer substituted with a halogen, or similargroup (i.e. a sulfonate ester or other leaving group) with a transitionmetal catalyst and a suitable reagent to introduce a new substituent atthat position. In certain embodiments, the step of performing atransition metal-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond forming reaction comprisesreacting a position on the anhydro dimer substituted with an atom fromgroups 1-2 or 12-14 (IA-IIA and IIB-IVA) of the periodic table. Incertain embodiments, the atom is selected from the group consisting of,boron, tin, silicon, magnesium, or zinc atom with a transition metalcatalyst and a suitable reagent to introduce a new carbon-linkedsubstituent at that position. Suitable conditions, catalysts andreagents for performing such transformations are well known in the art.Suitable conditions can be found in ADVANCED ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 4^(th)Ed. by Jerry March and references cited therein.

In some embodiments, the coupling is a Suzuki coupling. Suzuki couplingof boronic acids with different aryl halides is typically conductedusing palladium catalysts tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) palladium (0) oranother suitable source such astrans-dichlorobis(tri-o-tolylphosphine)palladium (II), Pd(II)Cl₂(PPh₃)₂,Pd(II)Cl₂(dppb)₂, Pd(II)(OAc)₂+PPh₃, Pd(II)(OAc)₂+tri(o-tolyl)phosphine(palladacycle), or Pd/C under basic conditions. Typically, the reactionbase is sodium or potassium or barium hydroxide, sodium or potassiumbicarbonate, sodium, potassium, cesium or thallium carbonate, cesium orpotassium fluoride sodium or potssium tert-butoxide, potassium phosphateor triethylamine and the solvent includes DMF, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran,dioxane, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, water, toluene/benzene andmixtures thereof and with phase transfer reagents, such as Bu₄NCl or18-crown-6. Exemplary reactions include those described inMetal-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions, A. de Meijere and F.Diederich, Eds., 2^(nd) Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2004; and Handbookof Organopalladium Chemistry for Organic Synthesis, Negishi, E., deMeijere, A. Editors, Wiley: New York, N.Y., 2002.

II. Carbon-Heteroatom Bond Forming Reactions

In other embodiments, a step of performing one or more chemicaltransformations on an anhydro dimer comprises performing acarbon-heteroatom bond forming reaction on at least one aromatic ring ofan anhydro dimer in one or more positions.

In certain embodiments, a carbon-heteroatom bond forming reaction isselected from the group consisting of halogenation, or introduction of agroup linked via an atom selected from the group consisting of: oxygen,nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, boron, tin, silicon, lithium, magnesium,or combinations of two or more of these.

In certain embodiments, the anhydro dimer formed in step (a) has aformula:

wherein at least one of R₁, R₂, R₃, and R₄ is —H, and the remainder areeach independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, —NO₂,—CN, —Si(R^(y))₃, —SR^(y), —S(O)R^(y), —S(O)₂R^(y), —NR^(y)C(O)R^(y),—OC(O)R^(y), —CO₂R^(y), —NCO, —N₃, —OR^(y), —OC(O)N(R^(y))₂, —N(R^(y))₂,—NR^(y)C(O)R^(y), —NR^(y)C(O)OR^(y); or an optionally substitutedradical selected from the group consisting of C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic; C₁₋₂₀heteroaliphatic; phenyl; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partiallyunsaturated monocyclic carbocycle, a 7-14 carbon saturated or partiallyunsaturated carbocycle; a 5- to 6-membered monocyclic heteroaryl ringhaving 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, orsulfur; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partially unsaturatedheterocyclic ring having 1-3 heteroatoms independently selected fromnitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 6- to 12-membered polycyclic saturated orpartially unsaturated heterocycle having 1-5 heteroatoms independentlyselected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; 8- to 14-membered aryl; or an8- to 10-membered bicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-5 heteroatomsindependently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; where eachoccurrence of R^(y) is independently —H, or an optionally substitutedradical selected from the group consisting of C₁₋₆ aliphatic, 3- to7-membered heterocyclic, phenyl, and 8- to 10-membered aryl, and wheretwo or more adjacent R^(y) groups can be taken together to form anoptionally substituted saturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic 5-to 12-membered ring containing 0 to 4 heteroatoms.

In certain embodiments, R₃ is —H in a provided salicylaldehydederivative from which an anhydro dimer is formed.

In certain embodiments, R₁ in a provided salicylaldehyde derivativeselected from the group consisting of optionally substituted C₁₋₂₀aliphatic, and optionally substituted aryl.

In certain embodiments, R₁ in the provided salicylaldehyde derivativefrom which the anhydro dimer is formed is selected from the groupconsisting of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl,t-butyl, isoamyl, tert-amyl, and substituted phenyl.

III. Functional Group Manipulations

It will be appreciated that, in addition to reactions that add or modifysubstituents on the anhydo dimers, the present invention encompasseschemical manipulations to the anhydro dimer substituent groupsthemselves. In certain embodiments, the step of performing one or morechemical transformations on the anhydro dimer comprises performing oneor more chemical reactions to manipulate functional groups alreadypresent on the anhydro dimer. Such reactions can include those commonlyperformed in organic synthesis such as reductions, oxidations,additions, protections, deprotections, cycloadditions, aminations,decarboxylations, halogenations, transition metal-catalyzedcarbon-carbon bond couplings, Click reactions, ring-closing or crossmetathesis reactions, and the like. The functional groups thusmanipulated may be those attached to the aryl ring of the salicaldehydeor may be present on substituents attached to the aryl rings.

The following schemes represent non-limiting examples of chemicalsyntheses embodying certain methods of the present invention. Suchchemical transformations and useful reagents for carrying out suchreactions will be known to the skilled artisan, and are also availablein the literature (e.g., March, vide supra).

IV. Compositions of Matter

In certain embodiments, the present invention encompasses novelcompositions of matter with utility in the production of substitutedsalicylaldehyde compounds. In certain embodiments, the present inventionprovides the anhydro dimers disclosed in the schemes and descriptionshereinabove.

In certain embodiments, the present invention encompasses anhydro dimerswith utility in the production of salen catalysts. In certainembodiments, such compounds have a structure D1:

wherein, R₁ and R₂ are independently selected from the group consistingof hydrogen, halogen, —NO₂, —CN, —Si(R^(y))₃, —SR^(y), —S(O)R^(y),—S(O)₂R^(y), —NR^(y)C(O)R^(y), —OC(O)R^(y), —CO₂R^(y), —NCO, —N₃,—OR^(y), —OC(O)N(R^(y))₂, —N(R^(y))₂, —NR^(y)C(O)R, —NR^(y)C(O)OR^(y);or an optionally substituted radical selected from the group consistingof C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic; C₁₋₂₀ heteroaliphatic; phenyl; a 3- to 8-memberedsaturated or partially unsaturated monocyclic carbocycle, a 7-14 carbonsaturated or partially unsaturated polycyclic carbocycle; a 5- to6-membered monocyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-4 heteroatomsindependently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 3- to8-membered saturated or partially unsaturated heterocyclic ring having1-3 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur;a 6- to 12-membered polycyclic saturated or partially unsaturatedheterocycle having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen,oxygen, or sulfur; 8- to 14-membered aryl; or an 8- to 10-memberedbicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-5 heteroatoms independently selectedfrom nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; where each occurrence of R^(y) isindependently —H, or an optionally substituted radical selected from thegroup consisting of C₁₋₆ aliphatic, 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic,phenyl, and 8- to 10-membered aryl, and where two or more adjacent R^(y)groups can be taken together to form an optionally substitutedsaturated, partially unsaturated, or aromatic 5- to 12-membered ringcontaining 0 to 4 heteroatoms, with the proviso that R₁ and R² are notboth hydrogen.

In certain embodiments, in compounds of formula D1, at least one of R₁and R₂ is an optionally substituted radical selected from the groupconsisting of C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic and C₁₋₂₀ heteroaliphatic. In certainembodiments, for compounds of formula D1, R₁ and R₂ are independentlyoptionally substituted radicals selected from the group consisting ofC₁₋₂₀ aliphatic and C₁₋₂₀ heteroaliphatic.

In certain embodiments, for compounds of formula D1, at least one of R₁and R₂ is t-butyl. In certain embodiments, for compounds of formula D1,R₁ and R₂ are both t-butyl.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides anhydro dimerswith utility in the production of salen catalysts. In certainembodiments, such compounds have any of structures D2 through D8:

-   wherein-   Z is nitrogen or phosphorus, wherein the formal charge on Z    satisfies valency requirements;-   X is halogen; C₅-C₂₀ aryloxy; C₅-C₂₀ aryloxy having one or more    functional moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen,    nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₁-C₂₀ carboxy;    C₁-C₂₀ carboxy having one or more functional moieties selected from    the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur    and phosphorus; C₁-C₂₀ alkoxy; C₁-C₂₀ alkoxy having one or more    functional moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen,    nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₁-C₂₀    alkylsulfonato; C₁-C₂₀ alkylsulfonato having one or more functional    moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen,    oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₁-C₂₀ amido; or C₁-C₂₀    amido having one or more functional moieties selected from the group    consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and    phosphorus;-   R¹¹, R¹², R¹³, R²¹, R²², R²³, R²⁴ and R²⁵ are each independently    hydrogen; oxo; C₁-C₂₀ alkyl; C₁-C₂₀ alkyl having one or more    functional moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen,    nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl;    C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl having one or more functional moieties selected from    the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur    and phosphorus; C₇-C₂₀ alkylaryl; C₇-C₂₀ alkylaryl having one or    more functional moieties selected from the group consisting of    halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₇-C₂₀    arylalkyl; C₇-C₂₀ arylalkyl having one or more functional moieties    selected from the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen,    silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; or a metalloid radical of group XIV    metal substituted by hydrocarbyl, two of R¹¹, R¹² and R¹³, or two of    R²¹, R²², R²³, R²⁴ and R²⁵ being optionally fused together to form a    bridged structure;-   R³¹, R³² and R³³ are each independently hydrogen; C₁-C₂₀ alkyl;    C₁-C₂₀ alkyl having one or more functional moieties selected from    the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur    and phosphorus; C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl; C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl having one or more    functional moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen,    nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C7-C₂₀ alkylaryl;    C₇-C₂₀ alkylaryl having one or more functional moieties selected    from the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon,    sulfur and phosphorus; C₇-C₂₀ arylalkyl; C₇-C₂₀ arylalkyl having one    or more functional moieties selected from the group consisting of    halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; or a    metalloid radical of group XIV metal substituted by hydrocarbyl, two    of R³¹, R³² and R³³ being optionally fused together to form abridged    structure;-   R⁶² is hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl or tert-butyl;-   n is from 1 to 20;-   X′ is oxygen, sulfur or N—R; and-   R is hydrogen; C₁-C₂₀ alkyl; C₁-C₂₀ alkyl having one or more    functional moieties selected from the group consisting of halogen,    nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl;    C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl having one or more functional moieties selected from    the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur    and phosphorus; C₇-C₂₀ alkylaryl; C₇-C₂₀ alkylaryl having one or    more functional moieties selected from the group consisting of    halogen, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, sulfur and phosphorus; C₇-C₂₀    arylalkyl; C₇-C₂₀ arylalkyl having one or more functional moieties    selected from the group consisting of halogen, nitrogen, oxygen,    silicon, sulfur and phosphorus.

In certain embodiments, the invention encompasses anhydro dimers withany of structures D9 through D13:

-   wherein-   X, n, and R⁶² are as defined above.

In certain embodiments, the invention encompasses anhydro dimers withany of structures D14 through D18:

-   wherein,-   R²⁶ the group consisting of: hydrogen, halogen, optionally    substituted C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic, and optionally substituted aryl;-   R^(a) and R^(b) are, independently at each occurrence, selected from    the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, and optionally    substituted C₁₋₄ aliphatic;-   Q′ is selected from the group consisting of: halogen, hydroxyl,    sulfonate ester, a neutral or cationic nitrogen-containing    functional group, and a neutral or cationic phosphorous-containing    functional group; and-   m is from 1 to 10.

In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18, Q is selectedfrom the group consisting of: bromine, chlorine, iodine, —OH, —OSO₂R,—N(R)₂, —N(R)₃ ⁺, —P(R)₃ ⁺, substituted guanidine, guanidinium, andamidine. In certain embodiments, in compounds of formulae D14-D18, Q′ ishydroxyl. In certain embodiments, in compounds of formulae D14-D18, Q′is bromine. In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18,Q′ is a guanidine. In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulaeD14-D18, Q is TBD. In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulaeD14-D18, Q′ is [N-methyl TBD]⁺. In certain embodiments, for compounds offormulae D14-D18, Q′ is trialkylammonium.

In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18, R²⁶ isselected from the group consisting of: —H, halogen, methyl, ethyl,n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, and t-butyl. In certainembodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18, R²⁶ is t-butyl.

In certain embodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18, n is aninteger between 1 and 6. In certain embodiments, for compounds offormulae D14-D18, n is an integer between 2 and 5. In certainembodiments, for compounds of formulae D14-D18, n is 3 or 4.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A mixture of 5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-3-iodobenzaldehyde (8.5 g, 28.1mmol) and Eaton's reagent (7.5% w/w, 30 mL) was stirred at ambienttemperature for 2.5 h. The reaction mixture was added dropwise to a cold(0-5° C.) solution of NaOH (24 g, 600 mmol) in water (45 mL). After theaddition was complete, the solid that formed was collected by vacuumfiltration and the filter cake was washed well with water (3×30 mL). Theanhydro dimer was obtained as a tan powder after drying (5.4 g, 65%). ¹HNMR (400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.27 (s, 18H), 6.37 (s, 2H), 7.32 (d, 2H, J=2.2Hz), 7.71 (d, 2H, J=2.2 Hz).

Example 2

A mixture of 5-tert-butyl-3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5 g, 19.4 mmol)and Eaton's reagent (7.5% w/w, 20 mL) was stirred at ambient temperaturefor 5 h. The reaction mixture was added dropwise to a cold (0-5° C.)solution of NaOH (16 g, 400 mmol) in water (35 mL). After the additionwas complete, the solid that formed was collected by vacuum filtrationand the filter cake was washed well with water (3×30 mL). The anhydrodimer was obtained as a tan powder in quantitative yield after drying(4.83 g, 100%). ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.27 (s, 18H), 6.42 (s, 2H),7.30 (d, 2H, J=2.2 Hz), 7.51 (d, 2H, J=2.2 Hz).

Example 3

To a solution of 5-tert-butyl-3-(3-bromopropyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5g, 16.8 mmol) in EtOAc (9 mL) was added Eaton's reagent (5.5 mL). Thereaction mixture was heated at 65 C for 4.5 h and then cooled to 0-5° C.Cold MeOH (10 mL) was added and the resulting slurry was filtered. Thefilter cake was washed with cold MeOH (2×10 mL) and the filter cake wasdried to give the anhydro dimer as a white powder (3.25 g, 67%). ¹H NMR(300 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.27 (s, 18H), 2.07 (m, 2H), 2.71 (m, 2H), 3.29 (m,2H), 6.32 (s, 2H), 7.13 (d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz), 7.15 (d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz).

Example 4

Zinc powder (1.28 g, 19.6 mmol) suspended in DMF (7 mL) was treated withI₂ (0.21 g, 1 mmol) under nitrogen at ambient temperature. When the redcolor dissipated, the mixture was warmed to 50° C., and a charge of1-chloro-4-iodobutane (2 mL, 16.3 mmol) was added. After two hours, theanhydro dimer of 5-tert-butyl-3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (2.3 g, 4.6mmol) and PdCl₂-dppf-CH₂Cl₂ (0.37 g, 0.45 mmol) were added. Heating at60° C. was continued for 17 h. Afterwards, water was added (20 mL) and aprecipitate formed. The material was collected by vacuum filtration anddried to give the desired product in high yield (2.18 g, 90%). ¹H NMR(400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.26 (s, 18H), 1.65 (m, 2H), 1.76 (m, 2H), 2.58 (m,2H), 3.49 (t, 2H, J=6.5 Hz), 6.32 (s, 2H), 7.08 (d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz), 7.12(d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz).

Example 5

A flask was charged with Pd(OAc)₂ (2.2 mg, 0.01 mmol),neomenthyldiphenylphosphine (13 mg, 0.04 mmol)), methyl acrylate (55 mg,0.64 mmol), Et₃N (55 mg, 0.54 mmol), and the anhydro dimer of5-tert-butyl-3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (55 mg, 0.11 mmol). Thecontents were suspended in ACN (1.25 mL) under N₂ and heated at 95° C.for 14 h. The mixture was cooled to ambient temperature and theresulting slurry was filtered. The filter cake was washed with heptane(0.5 mL) and dried to provide the desired product as a white solid (42mg, 0.083 mmol, 75%). ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.26 (s, 18H), 3.82 (s,6H), 6.41 (s, 2H), 6.57 (d, 2H, J=16 Hz), 7.35 (d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz), 7.50(d, 2H, J=2.4 Hz), 7.88 (d, 2H, J=16 Hz).

Example 6

The anhydro dimer of 5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-3-iodobenzaldehyde (150 mg,0.25 mmol) was dissolved in THF (0.25 mL) and treated with a solution ofiPrMgCl in THF (2 M, 0.66 mmol) at ambient temperature under nitrogen.Within 0.5 h, a solution of CuCN-2LiCl in THF (1 M, 0.5 mmol) was addedand the mixture was allowed to stir another 0.5 h. A charge of1,3-dibromopropane (0.067 mL, 0.66 mmol) was added and the mixture washeated to 60° C. After 2 h, an HPLC aliquot showed formation of thedesired product as determined by comparison with the HPLC chromatogramof an authentic sample.

Example 7

The anhydro dimer of 5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (630 mg, 1.9mmol) and N-bromosuccinamide (665 mg, 3.7 mmol) was dissolved in DMF (4mL) at room temperature. After 3 h, the temperature was graduallyincreased to 60° C. More NBS (1.75 g, 9.7 mmol) was added to thereaction over 7 h. The reaction was diluted with water and theprecipitate that formed was collected by vacuum filtration and washedwell with water. After drying, the desired product was obtained as apowder (710 mg, 76%). ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.27 (s, 18H), 6.42 (s,2H), 7.3 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 2H), 7.51 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 2H).

Example 8

The anhydro dimer of5-tert-butyl-3-(3-bromopropyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1 g, 1.7 mmol) wascombined with 1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (TBD) (0.53 g, 3.8mmol) in 10 mL acetonitrile. The mixture was heated to 65° C. and heldfor 16 h. The solution was then washed with hexanes (1×10 mL) andconcentrated to an oil. The oil was taken up in EtOH and treated with 1M HCl (20 mL) at 65° C. After 1 h, conc. HCl (2 mL) was added. After 3h, conc. H₂SO₄ (1 mL) was added and the reaction was stirred at 65° C.for another 3 h. The solvent was then removed and EtOAc was added togive a biphasic mixture. The aqueous layer was adjusted to pH 7 with aq.NaOH. The layers were separated and the aqueous was extracted again withdichloromethane. The organic extracts were concentrated to yield an oil(1.22 g). ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl₃): δ 1.23 (s, 9H), 1.89 (m, 4H), 1.99(m, 2H), 2.69 (dd, J=7.5, 8.9 Hz, 2H), 3.27 (m, 6H), 3.41 (t, J=7.3 Hz,2H), 3.57 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 7.32 (d, J=2.5 Hz, 1H), 7.48 (d, J=2.5 Hz,1H), 9.90 (s, 1H).

Example 9

The anhydro dimer of5-tert-butyl-3-(3-bromopropyl)-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde (0.5 g, 0.86 mmol)was combined with 7-methyl-1,5,7-triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec-5-ene (MeTBD)(0.37 g, 2.6 mmol) in 1.5 mL acetonitrile. The mixture was heated to 70°C. and held for 5 h. The reaction was then allowed to cool to roomtemperature overnight. Concentrated HCl (0.8 mL, 9.9 mmol) was added andthe mixture was heated over the range of 50-65° C. for 8 h with anadditional charge of conc. HCl (0.4 mL, 4.9 mmol) after 5 h. Thereaction yielded the desired product as a solution in aq. HCl and ACN.Low resolution mass spec (m/z): [M⁺] 372.3, [(2M-H)⁺] 743.0.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

The foregoing has been a description of certain non-limiting embodimentsof the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that theembodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative ofthe application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein todetails of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit thescope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded asessential to the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising the steps of: a) providingsalicylaldehyde or a derivative thereof, and b) forming an anhydro dimerof the provided salicylaldehyde compound.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of performing one or more chemicaltransformations on the anhydro dimer.
 3. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising the step of hydrolyzing the anhydro dimer to provide asalicylaldehyde derivative different from that provided in step (a). 4.The method of claim 3, comprising the steps of: a) dehydrating asalicylaldehyde to form an anhydro dimer; b) alkylating at least onearomatic ring of the anhydro dimer in one or more positions; and c)hydrolyzing the alkylated anhydro dimer to recover an alkylatedsalicyladehyde derivative.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step ofalkylating the aromatic ring comprises reacting the anhydro dimer underFriedel Crafts alkylating conditions.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe Friedel Crafts alkylating conditions comprise reacting the anhydrodimer with at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:alkenes, alcohols, alkyl halides, and mixtures of two or more of thesein the presence of a promoter selected from the group consisting ofLewis acids and proton acids.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein thealkylation occurs equally on both salicylaldhyde molecules comprisingthe anhydro dimer.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the alkylationoccurs at the aromatic ring position ortho to the hydroxyl group of thestarting salicylaldehyde.
 9. The method of claim 4, wherein thealkylation occurs at the aromatic ring position para to the hydroxylgroup of the starting salicylaldehyde.
 10. The method of claim 4,wherein bis alkylation occurs at aromatic ring positions ortho and parato the hydroxyl group of the starting salicylaldehyde.
 11. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the method comprises a first alkylating step using afirst alkylating reagent and a second alkylating step using a secondalkylating reagent wherein the first and second alkylating reagents aredifferent.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first alkyating stepintroduces a substituent at the aryl position para to the phenol hydroxygroup of the starting salicylaldehyde and the second alkylating stepintroduces a different substituent at the aryl position ortho to thephenol hydroxy group of the starting salicylaldehyde.
 13. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the starting salicylaldehyde is substituted at the arylposition ortho to the phenol and the alkylation step introduces asubstituent at the aryl position para to the phenol hydroxyl group. 14.The method of claim 4, wherein the starting salicylaldehyde issubstituted at the aryl position para to the phenol and the alkylationstep introduces a substituent at the aryl position ortho to the phenolhydroxyl group.
 15. The method of claim 4, wherein the anhydro dimerformed in step (a) of claim 4 has a formula:

wherein at least one of R₁, R₂, R₃, and R₄ is H, and the remainder areeach independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, —NO₂,—CN, —Si(R^(y))₃, —SW, —S(O)R^(y), —S(O)₂R^(y), —NR^(y)C(O)R^(y),—OC(O)R^(y), —CO₂R^(y), —NCO, —N₃, —OR^(y), —OC(O)N(R^(y))₂, —N(R^(y))₂,—NR^(y)C(O)R^(y), —NR^(y)C(O)OR^(y); or an optionally substitutedradical selected from the group consisting of C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic; C₁₋₂₀heteroaliphatic; phenyl; a 3- to 8-membered saturated or partiallyunsaturated monocyclic carbocycle, a 7-14 carbon saturated, partiallyunsaturated or aromatic polycyclic carbocycle; a 5- to 6-memberedmonocyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-4 heteroatoms independently selectedfrom nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 3- to 8-membered saturated orpartially unsaturated heterocyclic ring having 1-3 heteroatomsindependently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; a 6- to12-membered polycyclic saturated or partially unsaturated heterocyclehaving 1-5 heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, orsulfur; or an 8- to 10-membered bicyclic heteroaryl ring having 1-5heteroatoms independently selected from nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur;where each occurrence of R^(y) is independently —H, or an optionallysubstituted radical selected from the group consisting of C₁₋₆aliphatic, 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic, phenyl, and 8- to 10-memberedaryl, and where two or more adjacent R^(y) groups can be taken togetherto form an optionally substituted saturated, partially unsaturated, oraromatic 5- to 12-membered ring containing 0 to 4 heteroatoms.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein R³ is H in dehydrating step (a).
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein R¹ in dehydrating step (a) is selected fromthe group consisting of optionally substituted C₁₋₂₀ aliphatic, andoptionally substituted aryl.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein R¹ indehydrating step (a) is selected from the group consisting of methyl,ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, t-butyl, isoamyl,tert-amyl, and substituted phenyl.
 19. The method of any one of claims15 to 18, wherein the alkylation at step (b) changes R³ from H to anoptionally substituted aliphatic group.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the optionally substituted aliphatic group introduced at R³ isselected from the group consisting of optionally substituted C₁₋₂₀aliphatic, and optionally substituted aryl.
 21. An anhydro dimer of asalicylaldehyde as described herein.
 22. The anhydro dimer of claim 21,wherein the compound is selected from: